Is the AIM120 fire and forget???

[maverick81]

Ive been playing this game for some years on and off now and still havnt grasped the concept of the AIM120. After launching in STT or TWS mode will the missile be more accurate if you keep the target painted or can you turn 180 and leave it to its own device. Also I understand that the missile does not use its own radar untill the final leg of the flight, is there any way of knowing when it has swiched to its own inercial radar so I can turn the plane 90 or 180 degrees to get away from a counter attack, or back to question one does this not matter beacause it is fire and forget?

 

Thanks Guys

[A.S]

noo....it´s a fire and pray (insider joke) :music_whistling::lol:

[Vekkinho]

I might not be the expert in AIM-120 since I never used F-15 in combat with LO/FC but I can tell U it's an ARH missile meaning that it has two stages and during the first stage of it's flight pilot must obtain a lock. There should be a counter in the lower right hand corner of the HUD telling pilot TTA (time to active). That's a remaining time to AMRAAM autonomy.

 

I saw that watching Real life F-16 HUD tapes when pilot used AIM-120 against drones. I belive things are similar with F-15 IRL.

 

Dunno if that's modelled correctly in LO/FC but when AMRAAM goes autonomous you can freely turn away from any incoming missiles or bandits leaving AMRAAM on it's own to find desired target.

 

However, lots of people complain on general F-15 performance and the way it's featured in LO/FC, and automatically AMRAAM's capabilities and behaviour is in doubt here.

 

On the other hand russian AMRAAMSKI or R-77 is also modelled hypothetically so don't expect 2 much realism here.

 

Perhaps GGTharos and Ironhand might help U more on this subject!

 

Edit:

BTW Maverick81, welcome to our community!

[golfsierra2]

IR seeker missiles are the only real fire&forget weapons - There is nothing more to do for you after release, no support required at all.

 

R-77 and AIM-120 are not fully F&F capable weapons, because they need to get additional guidance for a considerable part of the travel distance before their built-in 'mini radar' is able to pick up a target. After this point, the missiles becomes fully autonomous.

[GGTharos]

^^^^

Under that description, IR weapons aren't really F&F either - the only thing that prevents them from being used at longer ranges is the lack of a datalink. AIM120's in LOMAC will go active about 7nm from their target. If you're about that far from your target (even a little farther) you pretty much have fire and forget ability ... in real life, an AMRAAM will go active at around 13nm against a fighter-sized target.

[Pilotasso]

Man I just hope ED decides to make 1.13...

[VMFA117_Poko]

I'll overtake the discusion and I'll sens ya this:

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=IQR9bw-4R08

[RvEYoda]

^^^^

Under that description, IR weapons aren't really F&F either - the only thing that prevents them from being used at longer ranges is the lack of a datalink. AIM120's in LOMAC will go active about 7nm from their target. If you're about that far from your target (even a little farther) you pretty much have fire and forget ability ... in real life, an AMRAAM will go active at around 13nm against a fighter-sized target.

 

I think aim120 in lo does 8 nm actually. Thats what all my tests show anyway ;)

 

In another game i play it goes active first at 12-13 nm with a weak lock,

then 6-8 nm (depending on aspect/lookup/lookdown/other factors) it gets

a solid last stage active lock.

 

Unfortunately Lockons amraam is pretty much useless in energy outside

pitbull range, so. Dont worry. If you dont see him?

Just fire a few in diff directions, lockon will handle the rest. :joystick:

[golfsierra2]

^^^^

Under that description, IR weapons aren't really F&F either - the only thing that prevents them from being used at longer ranges is the lack of a datalink. AIM120's in LOMAC will go active about 7nm from their target. If you're about that far from your target (even a little farther) you pretty much have fire and forget ability ... in real life, an AMRAAM will go active at around 13nm against a fighter-sized target.

 

You mix up some things here: F&F is the term for a weapon that can be launched against a target without any further assistance needed. So IR are fully R&R weapons. ARH are sort of F&F provided they are launched within their seekers operational range limits.

 

It's pretty self-explanatory that a weapon - any weapon- will only be launched or fired if the target is within the weapons effective envelope. So the range factor will make IR missiles fully F&F and ARH limited F&F missiles due to the fact that they are only F&F provided that they can go active right from the rail which is not the primary firing solution (no BVR anymore for what the ARH have been designed in the first place).

[GGTharos]

Oh but it is important. For heaters, head on shots, effective range may well exceed seeker range ... as opposed to tail-on shots where it can easily be the opposite.

[golfsierra2]

GGTharos,

 

the point is that F&F describes a weapon that can be fired without requiring any further assistance by the launching aircraft after launch.

That is the question: Is the missile autonomous right from the launch or not ? It has nothing to do with the question: When do I get a Launch Authorization (LA) ?

 

You now talk about the weapons effective envelope, which results in getting a LA by the weapons computer or not. This has nothing to do with the F&F capability of a weapon in the first place.

 

See the difference ?

[RvEYoda]

Amraam does not necessarily require any mid course updates if the target maintains a somewhat constant course IRL,

(inertial guidance - not in lo)

however results of such a shot may not be as likely to kill as a supported one.

I would still say that amraam is pretty much a fire and forget weapon IRL, but is even stronger as a

supported one.

 

 

In lockon what bothers me a bit is how currently the modelling, a maddog has more chance of

finding a notching target than a head on target (because of spiral model search and super maddog

implementation :)) - This is mostly due to closure geometry. Essentially if you are unsure if you have

a missile on you or not, your safest bet is to charge it head-on !

In fact if you can use these numbers to optimize WHEN to break your lock to achieve maximum stand-off

range and minimum warnings for your enemy. (In lo you are less likely to kill if you hold lock until pitbull,

this is also effected by the current chaff model - which warps into datalink territory and fries the circuits ;))

[nesher]

I'll overtake the discusion and I'll sens ya this:

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=IQR9bw-4R08

 

Indeed Poko, I almost missed a new AIM-120 describing and eveluating thread, so HERE WE GO AGAIN...

A very appropriate post !

 

:D

 

Btw. incredible song, brings back good memories!

[nscode]

I once fired up my stove wanting to make some coffee and forgot about it for hours (needless to say, playing FC) ... guess it is fire and forget too :D

[SUBS17]

IR missiles are fire and forget and the Aim120 can be fire and forget if launched in boresight mode or launched whilst another aircrafts radar is used to lock the tgt.IRL:smilewink:

[Vekkinho]

^^^^^^^

 

Yeah but remember, AMRAAM in boresight will lock onto a first radar contact it finds so make sure there's no friendlies in front!

 

Exactly, you can launch AMRAAM in bore, and your wingman/friendly fighter can guide it.